Lilavati Sara

Author(s): Jinratnasuri, H C Bhayani, N M Kansara
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 17

Lilāvati-sāra
Once he hit the chief minister Buddhisāgara in the eye. The minister conferred with the feudal chieftains as to how to check the prince. One of the ministers named Sabuddhi reported the matter to the king and adviced him to act immediately and imprison the prince, disregarding the queea's sentiments. And in support of his advice he narrated the following illustrative story.
The sub-story of a King and his obstinate queen (199-220)
A king went for hunting. While he was resting under a bunyan tree on the shore of a lake, he saw a girl from the nether world come out of the lake, assume the form of a female serpent, and indulge in sexual act with a male serpent, who came out from the hollow of a trec. Enraged at this misbehaviour in his presence, the king lashed them. The serpents separated and disappeared. The king returned to the city and rested with his queen. Meanwhile the serpent girl complained to her husband, alleging that the king lashed her for spurning his approaches. The serpeat god was angry and approached the king invisibly to take revenge, but overhearing the true story as it was being narrated by the king to his queen, conferred a boon on the king, which empowered him to understand the language of all the creatures, though with this strict condition that the king would die the moment he revealed to anybody what he heard.
Once when the king was holding the container and the queen was applying cosmetics to her body, a female lizard asked her mate to fetch her some cosmetics from the dish. But the mate refused saying he would be killed. The dialogue was repeated, and the king who listened and understood, laughed. When the queen inquired why he laughed, the king pleaded not to press him to tell it, because it imvolved risk to his life. But she obstinately persisted In order not to displease her, the king got prepared a funeral pyre outside the city and started giving alms to the poor on the way. At that time a female goat asked her mate to fetch
creeper from the brink of a deep well. The male expressed his inaility to favour her in the matter. The female was displeased. The male
her he was not a fool like the king, who was out to die just for a queen, although he could easily get another one. Listening to this, the hing took the hint and reversed his decision to sastisfy the idle curiosity of the queen. (The illusirative siory ends).
(The story of Rāmadeva resumed)
On the advice of one of the ministers, the king decided to put the